1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to musculoskeletal models and, in particular, to modifying a musculoskeletal model. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for tuning a musculoskeletal model to be adapted to a particular profile, such as a demographic profile.
2. Background
Biomechanical simulation has become increasingly important in domains such as, for example, without limitation, human factors engineering, clinical medicine, sports medicine, veterinary medicine, clinical biomechanics, clinical research, computer animation, rehabilitation research, biomedical engineering, and other such domains.
Human factors engineering is the practice of designing products, systems, or processes to take into account the interaction between these products, systems, or processes with the humans that use them. Human factors engineering may be relevant to fulfilling the goals of health, safety, and productivity in design. For example, human factors engineering, which may also be referred to as human factors and ergonomics, may include the designing of devices that fit the human body or that the human body otherwise uses. Proper ergonomic design of these devices may be important to preventing repetitive strain injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, and other types of medical issues. Human factors engineering may take into account the capabilities and limitations of a person to ensure that what is being designed suits that person.
Typically, biomechanical simulation involves running simulations using a computer model of the musculoskeletal system of a subject, such as a human or animal. A musculoskeletal model may consist of rigid body segments connected by joints and muscles that span these joints and that generate forces and movement. A musculoskeletal model may be used to study the forces and joint moments that the muscles can produce.
However, the musculoskeletal models that are often used for biomechanical simulations are generic models. For example, these models may represent an ideal or nominal subject, such as a 25-year-old male at the 50th percentile with respect to a plurality of demographic factors. Simulations that are run using these types of generic musculoskeletal models may not provide accurate results for demographic profiles that fall outside the ideal or nominal demographic profile.
Currently available methods for correcting inaccuracies and errors in simulations run using generic musculoskeletal models or for adjusting generic musculoskeletal models may be significantly more time-consuming and expensive than desired. As one example, expensive medical imaging equipment and subsequent imaging data processing may be used to determine muscle volume loss in certain medical patients such that a musculoskeletal model may be modified. However, this process may be more time-consuming and expensive than desired and, in some cases, prohibitively expensive. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.